Rewild the Night 🌙

Bring your headtorches for a nature-focused tour of our wilding project - in the dark! Hepple is situated within the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park and is therefore the perfect spot for a nocturnal nature tour, with some added stargazing. 

At a glance

• Arrive for a 17:30 start, finishing around 19:45
• Welcome drinks including hot chocolates and Hepple Spirits cocktails
  
• Guided walk around the estate listening for nocturnal animals such as owls and stargazing atop an iron-age hillfort
• Some uneven ground and variable weather conditions may apply! 

Light going doing over the estate while on a walk 

Event Overview

Starting at 17:30am you will be welcomed to our guest bothy with a roaring fire and a choice of welcome drink including hot chocolate, a Hepple Spirits cocktail or a soft drink. After a short introduction to the estate we will discuss the nocturnal animals found around site and introduce some of the constellations in the night sky this time of year. Heading out from the bothy we will go for a 1-1.5 hour walk to a prominent viewpoint where we can look down the valley. Along the way we will pass by fields and woodlands, looking and listening for calls of owls or snuffling badgers. From the viewpoint we will hopefully be able to make out some of the stars (cloud dependent!) before we head back to the bothy and home. 

While we regularly hear owls across the estate, and see lots of nocturnal animals, we cannot guarantee wildlife sightings - such is the nature of wild life. We also cannot guarantee what the stargazing will be like as it depends on the cloud levels but the walk is always beautiful. 

View across the estate from the hill

Your Guide

This event will be led by our in-house Ecologist & Guide, Richard Thompson. Richard grew up roaming the hills around Hepple before heading to Scotland where he gained a master's degree in Conservation and worked as nature-guide in the Scottish Highlands. After returning to his Northumberland roots Richard worked as a professional ecologist before joining the team here at Hepple. Richard is outdoor first-aid trained and is a Hill & Moorland Leader, a qualification that focuses on group management and upland navigation. When not leading our events, Richard can be found conducting various monitoring jobs across the estate including bird & plant surveys, and his favourite, fungi forays. 

Richard, Hepple Guide - Cal Thompson / This is Northumberland

Additional Information

Please note that this event includes periods of rough walking in the dark. Please come prepared.

A headtorch is essential and we would really appreciate if you could bring one with a red-light setting, to decrease the risk of spooking wildlife. 

We would strongly encourage bringing: 

• Sturdy boots or comfortable wellies
• Binoculars 
• Backpack with water bottle
• A warm/waterproof coat or jacket
• Waterproof trousers if it's forecast for rain 

If you can leave them in the car so much the better! The weather in the Upper Coquet valley can be very changeable so please come prepared for anything. While we will aim to head out whatever the weather, if the forecast ahead of the event does look especially awful or hazardous, we will contact you to offer a full refund or a booking on an alternative date.

If you need to cancel your booking we can offer a full refund/rebooking to guests up to two weeks before the event. After this time we may not be able to offer you a refund but will aim to do so if we can resell your ticket. If Hepple Wilds need to cancel the event for any reason, we will offer a full refund or reschedule the event.

Unfortunately this event is not currently accessible for wheelchair users or those with physical disabilities that may prevent them from prolonged walking in the outdoors over rough terrain. As we progress with our nature engagement plans, we aim to be able to host more accessible experiences.

In addition, this event is not dog friendly. We may be able to host pooches on our private/bespoke days, with prior arrangement. 

On booking you should be asked about your dietary requirements and any special interests you might have. Please get in touch if you think we need to know anything else. 

We look forward to welcoming you to our home and to the beautiful Hepple Wilds.